Terror on the horizon
By Henry Lamb
web posted October 15, 2001
So far, President Bush has resisted the calls to consolidate our
response to September 11, under the authority of the United
Nations. The attack was against the United States, and the
United States should respond. Other nations that wish to help
may do so, but only to the extent that their help fits into our
strategy. Response decisions should be made in the Oval Office;
not in the corridors of the United Nations.
So far, so good, but the pressure to turn over the war to the
"international community," will continue to mount.
There are no less than 12 (http:
//untreaty.un.org/English/Terrorism.asp) international treaties
dealing with terrorism, and even more U.N. resolutions on the
subject. The United Nations has an Office for Drug Control and
Crime Prevention, with a staff of 350, in 22 offices around the
world. Within this agency, there is a (http:
//www.undcp.org/terrorism.html) Terrorism Prevention Branch.
If this agency has prevented any terrorism, it is not public
knowledge; it certainly did not prevent the terror that struck the
United States on September 11.
The primary reason the U.N. is powerless to deal with terrorism,
is that it doesn't know what terrorism is. The U.N. has been
unable to draw a definitive line between "terrorists" and "freedom
fighters." When a car-bomb explodes on a busy street in Israel,
much of the world sees it as the work of "freedom fighters." The
victims define it as an act of terrorism.
While every American recognized September 11 as an act of
terrorism, Osama bin Laden saw "God Almighty hit the United
States...," and his followers celebrated the "freedom fighters" in
the streets.
The United States cannot allow the nation to get bogged down in
this quagmire of indecision. We must maintain our own defense,
and our own right to rid the world of any and all who would plot
to attack innocent civilians in America.
The United Nations has taken up the cause of terrorism with a
new enthusiasm in the wake of September 11. Kofi Annan has
already called for a new "comprehensive" treaty on terrorism, a
treaty to give the U.N. power to end global terrorism. This new
initiative will attract many admirers, and, sadly, many of those
admirers will be Americans.
The U.N. already has in place the bureaucracy to implement the
treaty. The new International Criminal Court (ICC) has now
been ratified by 42 of the necessary 60 nations required for entry
into force. The ICC will be authorized to prosecute "crimes
against humanity," which is a vague term, to be defined by the
court.
The world is very close to giving the United Nations the tools it
needs to enforce its vision of global governance. This new treaty
on terrorism could provide the public support the U.N. needs.
What's wrong with this scenario?
The majority of the members of the United Nations consider
Israel's response to a Palestinian car-bomb, to be an act of
terrorism, not self defense. The masses of protesters in Pakistan
consider America's response attack on the Taliban to be an act
of terrorism, not self defense.
United States leadership in economic sanctions against Cuba,
Iraq, and Iran, have repeatedly been called "crimes against
humanity," by United Nations officials. America's standard of
living - consuming 25 per cent of the world's resources for only 5
per cent of the world's population - has been cited repeatedly at
U.N. meetings, as a "crime against humanity."
Make no mistake: the United Nations will target the United
States the moment it has the power to do so, to bring the U.S.
under its control. After all, it is our economic, social, and foreign
policies that are said to be the "injustice" that caused the
September 11 attacks. A new treaty on terrorism, and a
reinforced bureaucracy for the Prevention of Terrorism, and a
new International Criminal Court - are major steps toward
providing the U.N. with the power it needs.
The two remaining elements the U.N. needs to complete its
global governance power grab are also quickly being assembled:
a U.N. standing army; and independent funding. Several nations
have already committed troops to the U.N.
Next March 18 - 22, in Monterey, Mexico, a world conference
will assemble to hear the report of the High Level Panel on
Financing for Development. This panel will recommend a Global
Taxing Authority, a global tax on the foreign exchange of
currency, and a tax on the use of fossil fuels, - and a new U.N.
Economic Security Council to oversee and implement the
independent financing for the United Nations.
All of these pieces of global governance have been under
construction for years. They are all coming together now. The
events of September 11, and America's response, will serve the
same purpose as World War II: providing justification for
creating an international authority to end war, or terrorism, as the
case may be.
The United States is the only power on earth strong enough to
prevent this terror on the horizon - this last step toward global
governance. So far, President Bush has resisted the pressure.
Whether or not the American people have the understanding -
and the will - to stay the course of independence and freedom, is
the most important question our nation has ever faced. The
answer will unfold over the next several months.
Henry Lamb (henry@freedom.org) is the executive vice
president of the Environmental Conservation Organization (http:
//www.eco.freedom.org/el/), and chairman of Sovereignty
International (http://www.sovereignty.net).
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